In May, I had the pleasure of visiting the Canadian Embassy to celebrate the re-signing of the agreement, which allows UK university students to participate in the Mitacs Globalink internship. I completed this 12-week-long internship in the summer of 2024 in Winnipeg, a city located in Manitoba, Canada.
During this internship, I worked in a laboratory investigating a potential way two different drugs could be used to kill multiple myeloma cells, a currently incurable cancer. I was invited to the re-signing of the Mitacs agreement as an alumnus of the program and was asked to deliver a speech detailing my internship experience and how it benefited me, both professionally and personally.
Networking opportunities
Prior to arriving at the ceremony, I was excited but also rather nervous as I’ve never spoken at an embassy before; however, upon arrival, I was immediately made to feel at ease. Before the event officially began, I had the opportunity to network with representatives of Mitacs, Universities UK International (UUKI), other Mitacs alumni and even commissioners working at Canada House.
Mitacs internship
The event then began with the Mitacs CEO and director of international relations discussing how important the relationship between researchers in Canada and the United Kingdom is to allow collaboration and innovation, and how the Mitacs internship helps to strengthen this relationship.
It was not long before it was my turn to deliver my speech, I spoke of the research I completed and how it helped me to consolidate that I want to complete a PhD in cancer research, in addition I mentioned how welcoming my Canadian host family were, and how I learnt a lot about South America as many other Mitacs interns based in Winnipeg were from several different Latin American countries. I talked about all the different Columbian foods the other intern based in my lab helped me to try, and how we shared in mutual disappointment when England lost at the 2024 Euros final and Colombia lost at the 2024 Copa América final on the same day.
Reminiscing with other interns
After I completed my speech and listened to the other Mitacs alumni speak of their experiences, I had the opportunity to speak once again to the other attendees of the event. We reminisced on our internship experiences and the recreational activities we enjoyed in Canada. I had chosen to spend one of my weekends visiting Toronto and Niagara Falls, whilst another intern had visited Banff, a picturesque town in Alberta surrounded by lakes and mountains.
Opportunities
I was also approached after my speech by representatives of UUKI, Canada House and other UK universities. Many people were fascinated that I had the opportunity to work in cancer research whilst completing my undergraduate degree, and wanted to know more about my research and plans for the future. I was also given very helpful advice regarding applying for PhDs and was reminded that many PhDs have the opportunity to complete a year or two abroad, so they could potentially have the chance to go back to Canada.
Overall, attending this event was a great opportunity; I was able to improve my public speaking, network with individuals from a range of backgrounds, and recollect my internship experience whilst celebrating the continuation of the internship agreement, ensuring future students have the chance to complete internships in Canada.
Discover more
Durham University delighted be a leading participant in the Mitacs Globalink Research initiative; a partnership between Universities UK International (UUKi) and Mitacs, a not-for-profit Canadian national research organisation. This initiative offers full funding Durham undergraduates to complete a 12-week research internship in Canada.
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